125 Years

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In the 125 years since Architectural Record's inception, radical changes have indelibly shaped not only the built world but also the culture of the discipline and the personality of the magazine. In this special section, we chronicle our history and pay tribute to architecture’s ongoing evolution.

Hindsight may be 20/20, but the picture is not so clear when looking to the future. What will be the biggest issues facing the profession in the coming years? How will new materials and new technology transform our buildings and our cities? And will the way we teach and train architects change? The following features offer some predictions.

In a series of monthly essays and editorials, Architectural Record reflects on highlights from its 125-year history, including recollections from the magazine’s earliest days; ruminations on trends that have come, gone, and come back again; and studies of how iconic buildings have evolved throughout the decades.

Read the best vintage articles culled from our archives—including Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark essays, “In the Cause of Architecture,” written for RECORD and published beginning in 1908. View PDFs of the original pages, too!

As an architect committed to the preservation of buildings from the near as well as the distant past, I have come to the conclusion that the architecture profession as a whole is not often as committed as I am.

Walk into any of the 154 architecture schools certified by the National Architectural Accrediting Board and you are likely to encounter students working long hours in the design studio, learning their craft in small groups through desk crits and pinups.

IMAGE GALLERIES

Mildred F. Schmertz took these photos of Frank Lloyd Wright and members of the Taliesin Fellowship in February 1958, just fourteen months before the architect's death at age 89. They were included in the article "Frank Lloyd Wright: A Selection of Current Work" (RECORD, May 1958). Schmertz served as associate and senior editor before becoming the first female editor in chief of Architectural Record. View the images as a PDF.